


Supporting You

by L0NE



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fanmade Supports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-07-01 08:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15769941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L0NE/pseuds/L0NE
Summary: Candace always laughed it all off, insisting she was fine and that Corrin shouldn’t worry so much.And she probably would have continued to do that, had Corrin not walked in on her in their room after returning from the baths, holding the Yato precariously in her hands.[[Fanmade supports for Corrin/Candace— Corrin is gender neutral]]





	1. C SUPPORT

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO everyone, we’re bringing back #teamcandace love!!!!
> 
> i wanted to do these supports first, and then maybe do a fullfledged fic of the two at some other point...
> 
> hope you all enjoy<3

Candace, the newest recruit in Corrin’s army, had a bit of a stealing problem.

 

 

If you were to ask her about it, she would insist she wasn’t doing anything wrong with the way she twisted words so easily— the hair ribbon she had swiped from Mozu last week was made from (technically) stolen silk from silkworms, so wasn’t it actually justice to steal back from a thief? Besides, it was only a simple hair ribbon, not something serious or worth much money, so Candace insisted there was no way she really wanted it for herself. Even when she was caught putting it on in camp. And when she stole other hair ribbons similar to it from the accessories shop. 

 

 

Petty theft within the army was one thing, but her attraction to stealing was of a whole other league on the battlefield. If Corrin got gold for every time Candace would try to steal something she sized up as expensive or important, they would easily break the bank. From snatching up ancient paintings in ruins the army passed through to attempting to carry home an abandoned statue of a goddess from another country, Candace wanted it all. 

 

 

Corrin often put their foot down on such matters, stopping Candace whenever they could, but there were still points where the treasure hunter snuck under their radar and, suddenly, an axe made of pure gold was somehow registered in the army’s inventory. The royal insisted that her tactics were unruly and even a bit cruel, with her strength and full-of-herself attitude combined to make a deadly weapon against those who tried to stop her. 

 

 

Candace always laughed it all off, insisting she was fine and that Corrin shouldn’t worry so much.

 

 

And she probably would have continued to do that, had Corrin not walked in on her in their room after returning from the baths, holding the Yato precariously in her hands.

 

 

At first, the two stared at each other in complete, shocked silence, registering the situation in their heads at the same time. Corrin always locked their door when they weren’t present, and no windows were open, so Candace had definitely broken in while they were away. The target of the break-in was obvious, seeing the weapon in her hands, but it was a bit of a contradiction to Candace’s character. If she had really wanted it, as calling the Yato a valuable treasure would be a vast understatement,  she would be outside running away already, not staying in the room of the person she was stealing from.

 

 

It seemed that the contradiction was to be resolved when the treasure hunter made the move to speak first. “I can explain this, actually!” Candace nodded nervously as Corrin stood in the doorway with a blank expression, saying nothing, yet giving off an aura that radiated  _ No, you can’t. _

 

 

Nevertheless, Candace began babbling, “You see, I was just checking to see if this was the real Yato. In my vast travels, I’ve seen a lot of fakes, but nothing escapes my eye!” She laughed for a bit after her last comment, but then immediately stopped upon seeing Corrin was definitely not amused, continuing, “I just wanted to check it out— that’s all, I swear. You don’t know what it's like to hear something like this is in our army; a legendary weapon that I can’t see because I’m positioned too far away!”

 

 

Silence washed over the two. In all of her excitement to really get a look at a legendary weapon up close, Candace forgot she was trespassing in the room of royalty. Could she be punished for something like this? What if Corrin transformed into a dragon and executed her? Or—

 

 

“My Yato is definitely the real thing, I can assure you,” Corrin nodded, stepping into their room calmly. Their hand slowly raised in the air, and the blade in Candace’s grasp tore from her hold and into Corrin’s without a sound.

 

 

Candace could only stare. “...Yeah, I don’t think a fake could do that.” She mumbled.

 

 

Corrin agreed silently, walking over to her bed and placing the Yato on it before turning around to face Candace again, “You didn’t have to break into my room to see it, though. It actually makes me a little nervous, how easy you got in.”

 

 

“Nothing stops the great Candace, especially if it’s just a single lock on a door!” Candace put both hands to her hips and beamed. Lock-picking was obviously one of the many skills she had up her metaphorical sleeve, considering her line of work.

 

 

“How many should I have, then?”

 

 

“Hmm. Maybe 20.”

 

 

“I’ll add that to the list of things I need to buy, then,” Corrin grinned. 

 

 

Thinking on it, wasn’t this the longest the two had ever spoken to each other before? Even though she scolded her for stealing things in front of others, as well as gave her commands on the battlefield, Corrin couldn’t name a time where they talked as they were doing now. Why hadn’t they talked before?

 

 

Corrin broke out of their train of thought when they noticed Candace looking past them and at the blade that now rest on the bed, putting a hand to her chin and squinting at it. “To think that the real legendary Yato, worth 9,000,000,000 G at the least and coveted by collectors all across this whole continent, is here in this army… Could I borrow it after you’re done with it?”

 

 

...Maybe it was because she was like this.

 

 

“You cannot!” Corrin exclaimed.

 

 

“I’ll take good care of it! It’s valuable, so I’ll definitely take care of it!” Candace pleaded, coming forward and taking Corrin’s hands in her own. She hated pleading like this, but she didn’t want to risk doing something too bold that would get her kicked out of the army, considering all the plunderable places they happened to pass through. 

 

 

Then again, she broke into their room just to get a look at their weapon, so what was “too bold”?

 

 

Corrin looked away from her begging stare, flustered by how close Candace was now. They began to back away slowly, but when their legs hit the frame of the bed that was behind them, they knew they were stuck. “T-There’s no way I could give it to you, you know that! You can’t steal it from me… and you really shouldn’t steal from anyone else, either!” They choked out, “I think this is really different than a hair ribbon, don’t you?”

 

 

“What if I convinced you to let me have it?” Candace asked, not even hesitating or flinching hearing her past crimes being brought up.

 

 

A pause. Corrin hadn’t known how to reply to such an odd question, so they merely echoed it. “Convinced me to…?”

 

 

“Yeah! Oh, I could definitely do that!” Candace smiled wide, as if she had just figured out the answer to all of her problems. She quickly let go of Corrin’s hands and dashed to the door of their room, “Leave it to Candace! I’ll have that Yato in no time at all!” She winked.

 

 

With no delay, she bolted from the room, hoping out of the treehouse a moment later.

 

 

Corrin stood, staring in awe and confusion at what had just happened.

 

 

“Hang on. I never said ‘yes’...”


	2. B SUPPORT

Since that day, Candace, though the idea of sucking up to someone was completely against her moral code, went out of her way to be friendly with Corrin. It wasn’t in obvious, annoying ways, but more of frustratingly helpful ways, things that Corrin couldn’t deny they appreciated. Keeping an extra bunch of arrows handy to protect Corrin’s back, clearing everyone out of the bathhouses for Corrin to soak in alone, transporting the wounded to clerics on the battlefield without complaint— even going as far as not suggesting to steal something when she saw it out on the field.

  
  


(Candace still stole said things behind Corrin’s back, just much more sneakily, so the royal wouldn’t know.)

  
  


Despite all the help, it troubled Corrin more than anything. It was sort of like lying to her, wasn’t it? Even if they hadn’t actually promised anything to her, it made Corrin uncomfortable to be treated so kindly without giving her something in return. “You know I can’t actually give you this sword, right? Even after you’ve been so kind to me,” they said to Candace one night after dinner, when the two of them were the only ones left in the mess hall. The rest of the army had departed beforehand, but Candace stayed behind as she was simultaneously trying to eat and count money she had made that week from plundering.

  
  


Candace nodded at the royal, who stood beside her now with a disappointed look, “Not right now, of course. We’re in the middle of war!” She said, standing from her seat and grabbing her empty plate from the table. “At the end of this, though, I don’t see why not. I mean, I have no idea what you’d be using it for then.” The way she spoke so nonchalantly about it told Corrin she was satisfied with her thinking.

  
  


Corrin stared at her dumbfounded, not moving from their spot as Candace passed them to dispose of her dirtied dishes. When it came to obtaining treasure, it seemed that Candace really didn’t sweat the details… which was probably a problem.

  
  


“I-It’s a legendary weapon only I can wield anyways,” Corrin stammered, chasing after Candace as she put away her dishes, “Even if there comes a time I won’t need it anymore, you, or anyone else, couldn’t use it.” They thought back to a few weeks ago, where their eldest brother Xander had tried to use the Yato out of curiosity only to have the blade bounce off every target he swung at, as if it were made of rubber. Considering Xander was definitely stronger and sturdier than Candace, something told Corrin that if she tried to use the Yato, she would go flying from the sword’s rejection of her.

  
  


However, all of this concern and practicality completely flew over Candace’s head, and she grinned brightly at Corrin, “That sounds like a challenge! I like it!”

  
  


“It is not a challenge!” Corrin sputtered, “And what is it with your treasure hunting obsession, anyways? Do you have some sort of goal?”

  
  


The question had slipped out in their flustered state, but now that they asked, it suddenly dawned on them that they barely knew anything about Candace. Of course, it wasn’t like Corrin was friendly with every person in their army, but they at least knew of their motivations and aspirations— with Candace, however, they drew a complete blank. Suddenly, the royal began to worry as they waited for a response from Candace, who stood still and silent in front of them, perhaps shocked by the fact that they wanted to know something personal. Did she have bad intentions, and Corrin was actually housing a person with nefarious intent? To be fair, she was kind of branded as a criminal from the second she was recruited, considering she had put Midori’s life in danger (which Kaze never forgave her for). Not to mention the petty theft and—

  
  


“Of course!” Candace responded, breaking Corrin out of their thoughts as she wrapped an arm around them, bringing them close and walking out of the mess hall with them in tow before any protest could be made. “Candace wants to become the most legendary treasure hunter in the whole world!

  
  


There was a pause. “...Not like I’m not already legendary, but, you know,” Candace murmured to herself, fixing her hat.

  
  


Corrin watched as she adjusted herself, being squeezed to her size and having to look upward per the fact Candace was holding her too tightly to move. “For what purpose, though? The money?” They asked, genuinely curious. Candace had plenty of it considering her trade, yet never flaunted it. In fact, she seemed a bit stingy...

  
  


“Mmm… Well, the money is nice! But it’s more of making a name for myself.” Candace nodded, satisfied with her answer, and then stopped abruptly in the mess hall entrance. Before Corrin could ask what was wrong, they were squeezed tightly, and Candace brought her hand out to spread it out in front of the night sky, sweeping over the stars. “If people hundreds of years from now refer to me in reverence because of how amazing I am… That’d be the best feeling in the world!”

  
  


Another pause, and Candace loosened their hold on Corrin, then completely letting them go, “...N-Not like people don’t already refer to me in that way, but, you know.”

  
  


Feeling the blood work its way back into their upper body, Corrin spoke once more, a bit worn, “Ah, so you want the fame, then.” 

  
  


Candace walked forward as if the last moment hadn’t just happened, and Corrin quickly realized that she was escorting them back to the treehouse on the far side of camp. Before they could protest to it, Candace answered them, “The fame is okay, I guess? But I don’t want fans following me around to bother me while I’m doing my work! They’ll get in my way and get hurt, too, which is annoying.” The sincerity of her voice made it sound like she had dealt with such an issue before, which made Corrin smile nervously at her despair. Perhaps that was a story for another day, even if it seemed to be of the bad variety.

  
  


Candace looked to Corrin with another smile, but it was small this time, and somehow warmer than all the other ones, “It’s about being remembered and honored by people, to inspire them and be a figure of strength and courage and even beauty, too! That’s what I’m after. It’s like the biggest treasure I can get!” She laughed heartily and sincerely.

  
  


Suddenly, Corrin quickly turned their face away to look off to the side at literally anything else, deciding to focus on the armory that was a good distance away. For some reason, seeing Candace’s smile in that moment was too much for them to handle, and a brush was spread wide across their face. It was nighttime, for Gods’ sake, so why were they suddenly being self conscious?!

  
  


By the time their argument with themself was over, Corrin noticed they had stopped in front of their treehouse, Candace waving her hand in front of their face confusedly, “Uhh, boss? We’re here, you know.” She called out, “Don’t tell me you were too caught up in thinking about how amazing I am to notice.”

  
  


Corrin grimaced at that comment playfully instead of giving a response, because they may have been lying if they said anything but yes. Candace removed her hand, side stepping out of their way so they could go inside for the night. The two had just barely realized how late it really was, and they would need to be up early for battle tomorrow. Corrin walked ahead, ascending a few of the treehouse’s stairs, before turning their head to look at Candace and calling out, “You have quite honorable goals, Candace. Although you commit some questionable acts every now and then, I am pleased you have pride to your name.” They said, turning around fully to acknowledge the treasure hunter and lean against the base of the tree for a moment.

  
  


It took a moment for Candace to realize that Corrin was referring to her crimes committed in camp, which she brushed off with another laugh and a quick tip of her hat. “Oh, don’t worry about all the things I take from everyone else. I usually give ‘em back if I don’t like ‘em,” She shrugged, “Which happens almost all the time, since I’ve got specific tastes! You can ask Mozu yourself if you want. That ribbon didn’t match my outfit, anyways.” She huffed, feigning hurt for a moment.

  
  


Then she stared Corrin in the eyes with a gleam in her own, “But I’m really flattered to hear you compliment me like that. Guess I’ve persuaded you enough?” 

  
  


Corrin rest a hand on their hip, “...That doesn’t mean I’m giving you my sword any time soon, if at all.”

  
  


“Rats.” Candace muttered, but she was still smiling as she walked away to retire for the night.

  
  


And Corrin was, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forget how the treehouse looked. i’m going off the idea that it has winding stairs to it. i’d be too lazy to scale a whole treehouse if i were corrin


	3. A SUPPORT

Ever since their conversation some time ago in front of Corrin’s treehouse, Candace and Corrin had been close allies both on the battlefield and off the battlefield. Most meetups when they weren’t busy or fighting to stay alive were spent with Candace recounting epic journeys she had been on before joining up with Corrin, with the royal listening intently and occasionally posing questions that would be answered in an instant. It was easy to see that aside from their own siblings, Corrin prefered to spend time with Candace the most out of anyone else in the army. 

  
  


While the chores and kind acts Candace had done were at first done just because she was trying to get something out of Corrin, she now did them genuinely, as if she had done them her whole life, in fact. The gestures were still appreciated, but they still gave Corrin that sinking feeling even after so much time had passed, though most told them to continue to let Candace do what she wanted. Though Corrin fretted over it, her work only made up a small portion of what the army did in total because of how much maintenance needed to be done during their travels. Even someone like Leo would roll up his metaphorical sleeves and do dirty work when needed, alongside everyone else.

  
  


On one particular afternoon, Corrin had been checking the army’s food supply with Niles and going down a list of what needed to be harvested soon, intent on making sure they’d have enough food to last another week at least. However, their attention was broken when Niles suddenly pointed out of the storage window. Bringing their attention to where he was gesturing to, Corrin saw Candace walking down the main strip of the castle. She looked awful. None of her outfit’s fabric was ripped, but instead covered in dust and dirt, from the tip of her hat all the way to her boots. Even her tired face had dirt wiped on it, which she picked at absentmindedly.

  
  


“You want to talk with her, I know. Go on. I can count radishes by myself for a bit,” Niles shooed them away with a grin, and Corrin nodded in appreciation before bolting out of the storage area.

  
  


Candace waved her hand as Corrin ran forward to meet with her, the tiredness gone from her face, “Hey, boss! How ya been?” She asked.

  
  


Corrin smiled, “I’ve been well. And you look like… you’ve been having some fun.” There was no real way to properly bring up the fact that Candace looked like a complete mess, so Corrin tried to skirt around it as best as they could, but it still came off as awkward. Whatever Candace had just been doing was a complete mystery, and Corrin wouldn’t be surprised if they had just caught her after trying to herd rabid horses while also fighting off an entire army.

  
  


Knowing what they meant as they tried to be nice, Candace took off her hat and dusted it off, quickly realizing she’d need to wash it later because of the amount of dirt and grime that stuck it it. “Armory cleaning,” She replied, pointing her thumb behind her to the storefront which was still relatively close. “Did you know how dusty that place is? It’s insane.” She had spent the whole morning in it to clean, and even though by the end of it all it had turned out looking fantastic, the struggle to make it look good was not one to make light of. However, considering Candace never backed down from a challenge, she insisted internally it had been no sweat.

  
  


That sinking feeling ran through Corrin again, and this time they were going to put their foot down. “Hey,” Corrin sighed, frustrated, “Listen, I know you really want the Yato, but I can’t keep letting you do these things for it when I just simply can’t—“

  
  


Candace tilted her head at Corrin, confused for a second. then shrugged, “Oh, that? Nah. I don’t want it anymore.”

  
  


“—let you— W-Wait, what?”

  
  


In that moment, the only thing Corrin could do was stare at Candace dumbfoundedly. 

  
  


Was she actually giving up? Some part of them should have felt relieved that the gimmick was over now, but instead it only made them feel worse. “Are you serious?” They asked, “After all you’ve done? You just cleaned the armory, you know.  _ No one  _ ever volunteers to clean the armory.” They thought back to the last time it had been cleaned, which must have been months ago, where Peri became so frustrated with how much junk there was lying around that she had broken the shop’s only window and began chucking swords out of it. Luckily, no one was injured, but everyone agreed that if Peri couldn’t handle it, someone on-par with the maids’ house service, then no one really could. 

  
  


Staring at Candace in this moment, dirtied but still plenty confident, confused Corrin greatly.

  
  


“Well, y’see…” Candace started walking, and Corrin followed almost immediately, instinct telling them to keep up. The former remained quiet for a moment, as if she was trying to think about what to say, but the second Corrin was about to ask if she was alright, she quickly blurted out, “You know how I was talking to you that while ago, where I mentioned how I want to be remembered and revered by everyone, and have crowds chant my name and statues be built of me and—“

  
  


Corrin swiftly cut her off by waving their hand up and down in a ‘no way’ kind of expression, “Okay, the first part, yes, but those last two bits, no.” Though they were hardly surprising.

  
  


“The point is!” Candace continued, a slight blush on her face as she realized that she might have spoken too much, “That’s what I want. And you… well, you wanna reunite Hoshido and Nohr somehow, right? I thought a lot about it, and it was kind of rude of me to assume that just because this war’ll end eventually doesn’t mean that conflict will stop entirely. Your Yato is part of your plan, and I don’t, uh… have a right to be mean about it. So I thought I’d keep doing nice things for a while to make it up to you for being like that.”

  
  


Candace was looking the opposite direction of Corrin now, but they could still tell her face was bright red with embarrassment, considering her blush spread all the way to her shoulders.

  
  


“Candace…” Corrin’s voice trailed off, and they didn’t really know what to say. 

  
  


Quickly, Candace turned back around, a worried look on her face, “W-Was that good?! Candace spent so many hours trying to figure out what to say to you when this came up again! I’d even written notes on the inside of my hat before realizing I’d have to take off my hat to read them!” She took off her hat to show Corrin hastily scribbled writing taped in on the edges of her hat, then quickly put it back on so they wouldn’t try to read anything she wrote.

  
  


Corrin stopped their walk and stared at Candace, “You really went through all that effort?” They asked. The act of her realizing what she was asking was good enough, but the fact that she had stressed out so much over what she would say when it came down to it proved that she really did care. Thinking on it, they couldn’t name another time where someone had cared that much for them, and it made Corrin’s heart ache with an unnamable feeling.

  
  


Noticing Corrin had stopped a few feet back, Candace stopped as well and turned around to look them in the eyes, “Of course! Candace takes everyone’s dreams very seriously!” She put her hands on her hips, making Corrin grin. They hadn’t known Candace was so passionate about something like this, even after they had become so close recently. It was almost childish to call the two of their desires ‘dreams’, but it gave a nice feeling to hear it being said.

  
  


“It’s your dream to unite everyone, and it’s my dream to become a legendary treasure hunter!” Candace continued, but then paused for a moment before adjusting her hat and murmuring, “...N-Not that I’m—“

  
  


“—not already one, right?” Corrin finished her sentence for her, having heard that phrase so many times before. Maybe it was something Candace didn’t realize she said so often.

  
  


Apparently she didn’t, at least, she didn’t show it in this moment as she pointed a finger at Corrin, “Exactly,” She nodded, “I wouldn’t want someone to stop me from doing what I want, so I shouldn’t stop someone else from doing what they want! Simple math.”

  
  


Corrin smiled nervously, “Whether that’s math or not is debatable…” 

  
  


“And!” Candace cut them off, walking forward to grab Corrin’s arm and hold them close to her side again as she continued to walk forward, “There are plenty of weapons here for me to plunder, anyways, like Xander’s, or—“

  
  


Immediately, Corrin’s eyes widened, and they cut Candace off while squirming in her grasp, “No, no, no! Don’t take any of my family’s weapons, hell, don’t steal any weapons of anyone else in the army!” Thinking about Candace stealing Camilla’s axe and the following carnage that would follow alone sent chills down Corrin’s spine, and that was only one person. Imagining what would happen if more people were affected would be utter chaos. Sure, even if some didn’t have weapons of legendary status, everyone still held their heads high with what they had— it would be awful if Candace ruined that.

  
  


Unfortunately, hearing the rejection of her most recent idea only serviced to make Candace upset. She pouted, letting go of Corrin and giving them the ability to breathe again, “But then what am I supposed to do?” She sighed, thinking of all the potential profit she would miss. Considering his fanbase, one could make at least 2,000,000 G off of Xander’s weapon just because he had touched it, nevermind its rarity. Maybe she could invest in asking the siblings to put their handprints on things, but the idea would be too risky considering none of them really held her in high light after she had begun taking Corrin away from them.

  
  


She would think on her actions later, when she had more free time. Letting out a loud sigh, Candace looked to Corrin with a scowl, “You definitely owe me a statue or two once you’re done with everything in exchange for me holding back!” She yelled.

  
  


A pause between the two of them.

  
  


“...Do you really want one?” Corrin asked, their breath a whisper. The seriousness of their voice in that second made it seem like they were striking a legitimate deal.

  
  


Everything in the past two minutes was forgotten in that second. Candace’s eyes sparkled with enchantment, and she leaned forward to grab Corrin’s hands, squeezing them so hard they began to lose feeling, “Can Candace really have one?!” She asked, her voice bubbling with excitement, “Oh, please, please, please?!”

  
  


“I’ll see when we get there, Ms. Legendary Treasure Hunter,” Corrin responded, then smiled at Candace warmly. “Thanks for being so understanding, Candace.”

  
  


“No problem!”

  
  


“And you don’t have to keep doing so many chores, you know… Though I’d appreciate if you kept cleaning the armory.”

  
  


“Leave it to me!”


	4. S SUPPORT

It seemed that whatever gods watching over Corrin’s campaign had started to grow tired and were trying to discourage them from continuing onwards— After a long cycle of fighting, recuperating, fighting again, and soaking in the baths, they were officially calling it a week. Too many people had attacked, too much terrain had been traversed, it was all so exhausting. As they ascended their treehouse, all Corrin could think about was a much needed night of rest.

  
  


Of course, they wouldn’t get it any time soon. The door to the room they slept in was ajar.

  
  


Someone was inside.

  
  


The royal’s hand went for the hilt of their sword, on the defensive. Was it possible an enemy had somehow snuck in? Enemy ninjas were a clever bunch, but none had ever gotten too far on unfamiliar turf like this, much less make it inside their quarters… 

  
  


There was no time to think more about it. Who was to say they would stay there for long? The enemy had to be put down before they wreaked havoc on the rest of the army— Corrin told themself this as they ran to the doorway of their room and unsheathed their Yato. 

  
  


“Who dares— Candace?!”

  
  


Of course, standing by an open window was none other than Candace, who was fiddling with a lock (looking closer, it was one of the several new locks Corrin had put on their door a few months ago after her first intrusion) in her hands, locking and unlocking it with a few twists of a wire, as if she needed something to do. After Corrin’s grand entrance, however, her attention was pulled away from what she was holding, and she looked up at the royal with a smile, “Ah! Boss! You’re just in time!” She tossed the lock behind her and it clattered unceremoniously to the ground, “I’ve got some important stuff to talk to you about.”

  
  


Ear shattering silence.

  
  


“‘Just in time’, she says…” Corrin said under their breath, putting their sword away with a sigh. Here they were, worrying about a potential threat to their army, and Candace just brushed it all off with a smile and wave. Honestly, her being like this shouldn’t surprise them, Corrin had certainly knew her long enough to understand how her mind worked, but some part of them was so tired all they wanted to do was hit their bed and pass out. “...So you had to break into my room,” they asked, rubbing their head, “at this hour?”

  
  


Without even a moment’s hesitation, Candace gave a thumbs up and nodded, “Yes!”

  
  


That sounded about right. 

  
  


Corrin took a long pause, staring at Candace from the doorway with squinted eyes, before reaching over to her nightstand to light up the room proper with a candle. Approaching the intruder and trying to blink the tiredness away, they gave a weak smile, “Okay. What is it?”

  
  


Candace turned around and walked over to Corrin’s desk. She pulled out a large map from underneath paperwork that Corrin hadn’t sorted for months, despite Jakob’s egging on for them to do so. Candace held it up to herself, looking it over for a moment, and then began to speak. “Well, I was looking over the current route we’re on to see what treasure I could scout out on our travels. Some abandoned temples here and there, a couple of bandits’ dens every now and then, the usual...” she spoke as if these things were obvious. “But then, I also found the ultimate treasure of them all!”

  
  


“Even greater than the Yato, huh?” Corrin asked, taking the sword and placing it on their nightstand so it didn’t weigh on them. They began to walk to Candace’s side to see what map she was looking at in particular, but she quickly closed it up and turned around to face Corrin, triumphant.

  
  


“Of course!” She confirmed, again, as if it were obvious, then pausing for a second before leaning toward them in a whisper. “Though, this new treasure  _ does _ go against your rule of not stealing from camp.”

  
  


Corrin groaned, “Oh, by the gods… What could we possibly have?” No one had hauled in anything new recently aside from a new silver sword or two, so they had absolutely no idea what was already in camp that warranted taking.

  
  


“This!”

  
  


Candace put her hand forward and opened her palm.

  
  


Balanced in the middle of her hand was a small ring made of gold. Its band was plain, but a bright red gem cut protruded from its middle and made it look gorgeous. Yet it was still perplexing. While it certainly was a sight to behold, and definitely valuable, it seemed hard to believe a single ring was Candace’s long sought-for, ultimate treasure. Usually, when Candace stole things, they were large and important-looking— at least, that’s what Corrin thought with their untrained eye.

  
  


Corrin leaned forward and stared at the item in her hand, observing thoughtfully, “...I’ve never seen this ring before. It’s quite beautiful, but I don’t want to compliment when I don’t know who you’ve taken it from this time…” They murmured. They racked their brain to think if they had seen the ring on anyone’s person before, but they drew a blank. Considering they would probably write an apology to the owner on Candace’s behalf since she would definitely never return it to them, it was probably best to figure that out sooner rather than later.

  
  


They reverted their attention back to Candace with a confused look, “Are you sure this is really your ultimate treasure? Not to be rude, but I expected something bigger.”

  
  


Candace closed her hand and let it fall to her side, shrugging, “It’s only one part of it, actually. Candace still needs the other half.” 

  
  


Now  _ that _ made more sense. It almost sounded like something straight from a fantasy story— a two-part treasure. Perhaps the ring fit into some kind of tablet that unlocked some ancient text, or the ring was to be held in a certain light and its shadow would cast an array of numbers that would be coordinates to a secret treasury…

  
  


Maybe Corrin’s mind had become a bit more imaginative now that Candace had spun so many of her tales in their head. If that was a good or bad thing, they couldn’t tell. They pointed to Candace’s hand, “So, what’s this other part—”

  
  


Cutting them off was Candace grabbing their hand and slipping the ring onto their finger.

  
  


Complete silence.

  
  


Corrin stared down at the ring, confused. It matched them well, actually, and was comfortable on their finger… but, again, it didn’t really make sense. Why did it fit so well? “Uhm. Candace?” Corrin asked. “I don’t hold the key to a mystic treasure or anything, so I don’t know why you’re putting this on me.”

  
  


There was another bout of silence, and then Candace burst out laughing, harder than Corrin had ever heard before. What was funny about that? It was just the truth.  

  
  


Wiping away a tear from her eye, Candace’s laughter eventually died down to giggles, “Gods, you’re really as dense as everyone says you are!” She marveled.

  
  


Corrin narrowed their eyes, “D-Dense…?” Now that was just rude, they had considered themself fairly adept socially, considering they had spent most of their life in a tower...

  
  


With an affirmative nod, Candace put both her hands on her hips and spoke, “I put that ring on you because… Boss— or, I should say, Corrin; Candace believes that the ultimate treasure of this entire army, country, and continent is you! So…” 

  
  


She gave a large grin, “Marry me!”

  
  


The royal remained almost completely still.

  
  


“Wha…”

  
  


Then their face bloomed red, and they couldn’t decide whether they wanted to stare at the ring which they had now realized the meaning of, or at the woman who had just proposed to them, “WHAT?!” They shouted, their lips trembling and their knees beginning to quake, “You want to… With me… M-Marry me?!”

  
  


Candace stared at them, confused, “I’m in love with you, of course. I thought I was pretty obvious about it!”

  
  


“With me…” Corrin echoed, in absolute shock. Was that real? Did they hear her correctly?

  
  


“Of course! What other person is sweet on me, likes listening to my stories, notices my efforts, is pretty damn attractive, and said they’d try to get a statue built of me? Hell, ever since we had that talk together when I walked you back home that night, I’ve been thinking of what ring I should get you.” Candace put her hands behind her head, grimacing as she leaned back a bit. “Trying to get your siblings’ blessings though… that was an adventure within itself. I had to agree to give Camilla back rubs for 2 years.”

  
  


The mental image of that was almost too much for Corrin to fully comprehend. Camilla was a sweet, but ruthless sister. “For that long…” They echoed, awed.

  
  


A silence lingered for a moment, but that was all it took for the high to wear off and cause Candace to worry. After all, Corrin still hadn’t said yes to her proposal. She lowered her eyes and her arms, now fidgeting with her scarf. “Was it actually bad that I asked you to marry me? Did you not want to…?” She tightened her grip. “Maybe Candace got ahead of—“

  
  


But Corrin quickly stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. “No, it’s really perfect!” They blurted out, face red hot with a blush. Never in their entire life had Corrin ever had experience with romance, save for some books that Elise had let them borrow while they lived in the tower, so they were completely going by gut feeling as they continued to speak. “B-Because I’ve been in love with you, too, for that same amount of time! I’ve always thought you were amazing, and fun, and pretty, and all of those things… So…!”

  
  


Embarrassment overcame them quickly, and they removed their hands, lips trembling. “So… M-Maybe I shouldn’t have said all of that, but...” 

  
  


But instead of making fun of them, Candace snatched their hands back up and held them high, right under her chin. “You want to get married, then!” She exclaimed, smile wide and doubt gone.

  
  


Corrin nodded, squeezing her hands, “Yes…!”

  
  


Without any warning, Candace pulled them in close, strode forward, dipped Corrin over, and planted a kiss right on their lips. It was almost like a dance move, with how much flair it had, but the royal, despite their two left feet, absolutely loved it. Beaming, Candace laughed, “Now I’ve done it! Candace is gonna be the best wife this continent’s ever seen, mark her on that!”

  
  


“Best wife and best treasure hunter, huh,” Corrin commented.

  
  


Candace nodded. “Of course! They aren’t mutually exclusive, y’know. 

  
  


And before Corrin had any time to respond, they were quickly attacked by kisses again, stumbling with Candace by the moonlight.

  
  
  



End file.
